Champions League: Why I dropped Herrera for Basel game – Mourinho

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has disclosed he left Ander Herrera out of his 18-man squad for their 3-0 win over Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday, for “tactical reasons”.

The Spaniard was not included in match day squad, as United returned to Europe’s elite club competition despite being fully fit.

Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic started in midfield, with Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick on the substitutes’ bench.

“No reasons to be out,” Mourinho told reporters after being asked about Herrera’s absence.

“We are playing only with two midfield players, with Matic and Pogba, which are playing really well and without reason to change.

“The only match that we decide to play with three [against Stoke City] he played.

“[Against Basel] we went back to two again and I had on the bench Carrick and Fellaini, which were also important players in the last season.

“We have a group of players and the players must be ready to play and not to play. Ashley Young was not on the bench in the last match and here he started the match and he played for 90 minutes.

“The next match you can have another surprise of some player that you think is going to play and is not going to play. It’s the squad we have, I have to use the players and that’s the life in clubs with squads of quality.”